HMRC's proposals to outsource some of its debt collection activities to the private sector has caused some controversy. The outstanding tax debt for 2007/08 is estimated to be around £17BN.
HMRC intend to run a number of pilot schemes, eg outsourcing debt collection to low-value debt specialists and selling debt that is deemed to be irrecoverable.
HMRC won't say how much the schemes will cost, or which suppliers they will use.
This is a risky tactic, at least as far as the reputation of HMRC and livelihoods of the people that they collect from are concerned.
There are a number of debt collection companies that employ aggressive and "semi illegal" tactics to recover debt; such as ringing people at work/home at any hour of the day or night, sending people to the debtors' work/home and generally being intimidating (they threaten bankruptcy and repossession of homes within 21 days).
These companies are used by "respected" banks and credit card companies (to wash their hands of the issue and to avoid damage to their reputations), it is therefore highly likely that HMRC will be using the very same organisations.
Tax does have to be taxing.
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I work in Debt Management & Banking (DMB) - AKA the old collectors of taxes, and this is just another example of HMRC being truly unfit for purpose.
ReplyDeleteThis proposal is even more proof of this.
Well, come on now, if we are unable to collect these debts, what makes these knobheads in charge feel these private debt collectors can do any better.
A true damning indictment; HMRC may as well flush this uncollected money down the shithole.
One more thing, you can forget all about "data security" if DMB's work is farmed out to privatised debt collection agencies.
ReplyDeleteAnon the Mouse said:
ReplyDelete"... A true damning indictment; HMRC may as well flush this uncollected money down the shithole. ..."
Well, as far as I am concerned, by dealing with the violent scum of private debt collection agencies HMRC is not only 'flushing this uncollected money down the shithole', it has its hand around the u-bend as far as the shoulder, pushing ...
If HMRC feel comfortable doing business with these criminal thugs then that is (further) proof positive to me of the sort of people who populate HMRC. i.e., birds of a ruddy feather.
as far as the reputation of HMRC
ReplyDeletereputation?
They're whores and vagabonds and have no reputation to defend
They're scum. They know it and we know it and for the gummint to employ scumbag debt collection agencies only shows how low they've sunk
These shitheads couldn't collect the £1000 I owed through PAYE for 15 years. It was eventually resolved by me paying cash, 2 years ago. Now they have "lost" the paperwork and are claiming it all again! I just cannot believe these morons.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago they "accidentally" entered my CGT allowance in the wrong box and sent me a bill for £10,000. Who needs the hassle? Why can't these people do their job properly!